The walk back to her car felt like the longest one ever for Ayva. She couldn't help but feel a sense of shame as she made her way through the parking lot. The encounter with the lady had left her feeling embarrassed and hurt. How could her own husband keep such a big secret from her?As Ayva continued her walk, her mind raced with questions. Would he have ever told her about quitting his job if she hadn't visited his workplace? It was a painful thought, realizing that she may have never found out the truth if she hadn't taken matters into her own hands. It made her question the trust and communication in their relationship.The three months leading up to their trip suddenly became a mystery to Ayva. Where had he been going every morning after getting dressed? What was he hiding? The uncertainty and confusion weighed heavily on her, causing her head to ache with the weight of unanswered questions.Just as she reached the garage of her workplace, her phone rang, displaying the caller
The next morning, Ayva couldn't help but be confronted by the harsh reality staring back at her in the mirror. Her once bright and lively brown eyes were now overshadowed by the presence of dark circles. The weight of her sleepless night and the tears shed had left their mark. When Zion entered the room the night before, she had feigned sleep, not wanting to reveal the turmoil she was going through. The mere act of sharing the same space with him felt like an unconquerable challenge. Her gaze kept shifting back and forth between the small knife that lay innocently on the bedside table and Zion, who slumbered peacefully beside her. The knife had been used by him to peel an apple earlier, but in Ayva's troubled state, her mind wandered to darker possibilities. She found herself fixated on the glint of the blade, contemplating the potential it held, as her eyes lingered on his vulnerable throat."Good morning, honey." Zion greeted, his voice breaking the silence as he leaned down to pla
"Oh, Ayva, you look absolutely stunning!" Amanda exclaimed, her eyes filled with admiration as she watched Ayva undress and settle onto the cozy spa bench. The masseuses wasted no time, skillfully applying fragrant massage oils and lighting floral-scented incense, creating a serene atmosphere."Your baby bump is just the cutest thing ever! It's hard to believe you're already so far along. I can only imagine how adorable my goddaughter will be." Amanda said, her excitement tinged with a hint of envy.Ayva smiled, her mind filled with visions of her unborn daughter. "Oh, she's going to be such a little cutie, especially if she has my face and Zion's blue eyes." Ayva replied, unknowingly stirring a pool of envy within Amanda. The thought of the baby having Zion's eyes made Amanda's smile falter momentarily.Deep down, she longed for the baby to be hers."When are you due again? I can't wait to start shopping for the prettiest and most adorable baby clothes." Amanda eagerly asked, trying
Ayva's eyes fluttered open, momentarily blinded by the bright lights in the room. As her senses gradually adjusted, she couldn't shake off the nagging thought that had jolted her awake - her baby. Her gaze immediately fell to her belly, desperately hoping to find reassurance."You're awake." a deep, masculine voice broke the silence as Justin entered the room. "Take it easy, don't try to get up," he urged, rushing to her side to assist her in sitting up."My baby... Did I lose my baby?" Ayva's voice trembled with fear and anxiety. "There was blood, and... Please, tell me. Why aren't you saying anything?" Her mind raced with worry, fearing the worst for her unborn child."The baby's fine. Nothing happened to the baby please stay calm," Justin reassured her with urgency. "You must be parched." he added, extending a glass of water towards her."I'm alright," she fibbed, declining his offer while her head throbbed. Doubts lingered in her mind, "Are you sure my baby's okay? I felt blood af
Justin nodded once, acknowledging that Ayva was right. However, he couldn't help but feel a sting to his ego. He had crossed a boundary even though he knew he shouldn't have done it. He had know Ayva for almost six years, and in all that time, she had never once raised her voice or been this upset with him."I'm really sorry," Justin apologized sincerely. As the elevator doors opened on their floor, he stepped out first, giving her some space.With careful steps, Ayva made her way to her office, mindful not to put any pressure on her injured leg. The employees on her floor exchanged glances, curious about why their boss was limping. However, none of them mustered the courage to ask.Soon after settling into her office, her phone rang. It was her husband, Zion, calling."Hello." She immediately said after picking up the call. And on her other phone, she watched him devouring pizza in their living room. The soft glow of the television illuminated the space, casting a warm ambiance."Why
Justin froze in place, his eyes widening in a mix of confusion and shock as Ayva's piercing scream filled the air. She was consumed by fear, it was evident in the way her voice trembled and her hands shook uncontrollably."Don't come any closer!" "Stay away from me!" Her words echoed in his ears. Justin, who had been attentively watching Ayva from his seat in the audience had immediately sensed that something was wrong during her Q/A session. He had immediately followed her without a moment of hesitation when she hastily fled the room.But the way she was looking at him now, a combination of fear and anger in her tear-streaked face, made his heart sink. It was as if... as if she believed something unthinkable."Surely you don't think that I'm..." Justin's voice trailed off, his words hanging in the charged atmosphere. He had refused to accept the horrifying possibility that had crossed his mind but then, her reaction, her tears proved that he was right. He stared down at Ayva, his e
Ayva's peaceful slumber was abruptly interrupted by a loud and persistent knock on the door. Startled, she slowly sat up from the carpet, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Searching for her phone to check the time, she realized it was still early afternoon.The knock came again, this time even more forceful, as if someone was determined to break down the door. "I'm coming," she muttered weakly, getting to her feet. She made her way across the room, unlocking the door without thinking to ask who it was.As the door swung open, Ayva found herself face to face with Justin, accompanied by a hotel staff member. Before she could react, Justin pulled her into a tight hug, letting out a sigh of relief. The hotel staff discreetly retreated, giving them some privacy.Confused and still groggy from sleep, Ayva pulled away from the hug and asked, "Is something wrong?" Her mind struggled to process the situation.Justin, trying to remain calm despite his worry, replied, "Why didn't you answer your
The atmosphere at the dinner table was thick with tension, particularly between Amanda, Zion, and Ayva. Their stolen glances at each other were subtle yet noticeable, and Ayva clenched her fist by her side to keep herself calm. Amanda's parents seemed completely oblivious to the underlying tension."Ayva, I must say, you are the most beautiful pregnant woman I've ever seen," Brenda Kerrington complimented with a smile."Oh, thank you so much. You're too kind," Ayva replied, mirroring the expression, although her smile seemed forced and insincere. The way Zion nervously twiddled his fingers under the table spoke volumes - he clearly didn't want to be there."I heard you managed to secure a collaboration with T&K Designs." Thomas Kerrington chimed in, taking a sip of water as they waited for their food. "You truly are the best at what you do. My foundation has tried countless times to get T&K's attention. Your influence makes me want to tap into it. Maybe if they find out that I raised
Justin’s POV“Mom!” I warned with a glare as I tried to caution her. She continued glaring at Ayva whom I’d now pulled to stand behind me, shielding her from any other impending attack from my mom. “Oh my, oh God! What is happening? My son has- oh lord! I no longer recognize the man I birthed.” She staggered, but Emily held her before she could fall. “Where is he? What happened to my son?” She cried out dramatically, attracting unnecessary attention from passersby. My jaw ticked, “Mom, this is not the time or place for this.” I gritted through my teeth. “Oh Emily what has happened to your brother? How could he be so cruel to me?” She continued, ignoring my warnings. “Stop this now or I’m going to leave.” I kept on clenching and unclenching my teeth, trying to keep the anger and irritation o felt away. “Now he’s threatening me. He’s threatening his own mother. He’s not my—” “Mom!” I barked, gaining more eyes on us. She looked stunned and so did Emily. And their shock was because
Justin's POV"What do you mean by that?" I inquired, casting a skeptical glance at Samantha.She approached my desk, placing an iPad on the surface. I eyed her suspiciously before picking up the iPad.True to her words, there was a video of Bella on live TV. I was taken aback. What was she doing there? She had mentioned feeling unwell that morning, causing me to arrive at work late, yet there she was on TV, looking nothing like she had described earlier.The presenter was asking her questions, but I couldn't hear clearly as the iPad's volume was low. I quickly connected my AirPods to the iPad to listen to what she was saying."Oh, that's all false. My husband and I are stronger than ever. All the divorce rumors are just tabloid trash," Bella claimed. "Did I mention that we also have plans to renew our wedding vows?"We do?"Really?" The presenter seemed surprised by the news. Well, that made two of us. "That's great news, Bella. We heard rumors about Mr. Mount having a mistress. Ther
Ayva's POV"Ms. Wesley, Ayva, are you still here?" Martinez's voice jolted me out of what I was reading on my phone.I blinked multiple times, sat up in my chair, and nodded. "Of course, I am. What were we talking about again?" I said, placing my phone down on the desk with the screen facing down. I intertwined my fingers together as my elbow rested on the desk."I said the only way to prove his identity is false is to confirm if he's truly Allison's father," Martinez said. "But you know we can't use DNA samples acquired illegally, so he has to be aware of the DNA test.""But then he'd know what I'm onto," I said, and Martinez slowly nodded. "There has to be another way," I mumbled. Although I'd yet to scientifically confirm if Aiden was truly Zion like Justin had claimed, since that day that he said it, I'd been unable to shake off that idea from my head. As days went on, I slowly accepted that Justin might be right.It'd been two months since I decided that we needed to take a break
Ayva’s POV"Ms. Wesley, Ayva, are you still here?" Martinez's voice jolted me out of what I was reading on my phone.I blinked multiple times, sat up in my chair, and nodded. "Of course, I am. What were we talking about again?" I said, placing my phone down on the desk with the screen facing down. I intertwined my fingers together as my elbow rested on the desk."I said the only way to prove his identity is false is to confirm if he's truly Allison's father," Martinez said. "But you know we can't use DNA samples acquired illegally, so he has to be aware of the DNA test.""But then he'd know what I'm onto," I said, and Martinez slowly nodded. "There has to be another way," I mumbled. Although I'd yet to scientifically confirm if Aiden was truly Zion like Justin had claimed, since that day that he said it, I'd been unable to shake off that idea from my head. As days went on, I slowly accepted that Justin might be right.It'd been two months since I decided that we needed to take a break
Justin’s POVI felt like shit. Seeing Ayva so broken, shocked, and disappointed in me made me want to disappear. I was beyond embarrassed.And the worst part was I had no excuse, nothing I could say to fix how she felt about me now, which just made everything worse.I’ve had my suspicions about Allison for years but didn't confirm it until a month ago when Amanda called Ayva to the hospital. I half expected Ayva to catch on when she was told she was a match with Allison. It seemed fishy that neither Amanda nor Aiden was a match, but Ayva was. And when I realized she hadn't figured it out, I promised myself I'd tell her when the time was right. If only I knew that jerk would beat me to it.Ayva wiped her nose with the back of her hand. I offered her a handkerchief, but she didn't take it, choosing to wipe her tears with her sleeves instead."What else?" She sniffed. "What else are you keeping from me? It feels like there's always something you're hiding." Her words hit hard. "Tell me
Ayva’s POV“Ayva, how did you-”“Answer my question, Justin!” I snapped before taking a deep breath to steady my nerves. I shouldn’t be getting angry with him, not when he was most likely the only one who could help me find her. “I…” I sucked in a deep air into my lungs. “I just want to know Justin. I need to know where she is and— please,” I grabbed his hand, my desperation evident in my eyes. “Tell me the truth, I promise I won’t get mad.” I wasn’t exactly sure I could keep that promise but it didn’t matter at that moment. I was ready to do anything, say anything to make him tell me what I wanted to hear. He sighed, casting his gaze downwards to his desk before looking up at me again. With a heavy breath, he asked, “How did you find out? Who told you about this?” I shook my head at him in disappointment. “Seeing as you’re avoiding answering my question, that means you knew about it. How long Justin? How long have you known this? How long have you… watched me suffer in silence. W
Justin’s POV"What do you mean by that?" I inquired, casting a skeptical glance at Samantha.She approached my desk, placing an iPad on the surface. I eyed her suspiciously before picking up the iPad.True to her words, there was a video of Bella on live TV. I was taken aback. What was she doing there? She had mentioned feeling unwell that morning, causing me to arrive at work late, yet there she was on TV, looking nothing like she had described earlier.The presenter was asking her questions, but I couldn't hear clearly as the iPad's volume was low. I quickly connected my AirPods to the iPad to listen to what she was saying."Oh, that's all false. My husband and I are stronger than ever. All the divorce rumors are just tabloid trash," Bella claimed. "Did I mention that we also have plans to renew our wedding vows?"We do?"Really?" The presenter seemed surprised by the news. Well, that made two of us. "That's great news, Bella. We heard rumors about Mr. Mount having a mistress. Ther
Ayva’s POVI suddenly shot up in bed, startled by a dream that had felt more like a nightmare and had sent cold sweat down my back. My breath came in short gasps, and I was drenched in sweat as if the nightmare had seeped into my waking world.Letting out a heavy sigh, I turned my gaze to the alarm clock resting on the bedside table. It had just ticked past ten. Despite sleeping for nearly ten hours, it felt like only ten seconds had passed since I closed my eyes.I fumbled around the bed, searching for my phone, and finally unlocked it. As I scrolled through my missed calls and messages, a text from my boss caught my eye. He’d asked if I was still interested in being a part of the company or if I’d simply removed myself. At that moment, his message held little significance to me; the thought of losing my job didn't faze me. Instead, my mind lingered on the absence of any message or missed calls from Justin, the one I had been eagerly anticipating.The disappointment that I felt was i
Ayva’s POVBella, with a stern look, asked me, “Are you going to tell me why you were in my husband’s room, why you are in my house, or do I have to call the cops for trespassing.”I felt her gaze pierce through me across the corridor. I guessed I had indeed trespassed. After all neither Justin nor Bella were aware that I was going to drop by."I'm sorry, I was just heading out," I muttered as I made my way towards the stairs.But Bella wasn't letting me off that easy. "I asked you a question," she stated firmly, making me stop and turn to face her. "I think I deserve to know why you were in my husband's room while he was sleeping."Her stress on 'husband' was clear, like she was reminding me she was still married to him and had every right to ‘interrogate me.’ "I mean, you've gotta be a whole new level of shameless to show up here knowing full well that his wife was gonna be home with him," she remarked, taking deliberate steps toward me. "For seven days, my husband was off with you